Killarney Forestry Rally - 19 Feb 23

Preview - Round 1 of the 2023 Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship

Posted: February 18, 2023 11:47 AM

It’s an exciting time right now as Irish rallying looks set for a bumper year, and its in 2023 that the Irish Forest Rally Championship is looking forward to a season like no other as we delightedly announce the introduction of new events to this year’s calendar, as well as introduce a brand-new title sponsor for the championship in Sligo Pallets

With over two decades of experience, the team at Sligo Pallets are experts when it comes to the supply and manufacturing of pallets. The over twenty strong workforce on site pride themselves on maintaining the highest quality of stock, necessary in supplying new and used pallets to suit a range of different businesses and industries. The expertise within Sligo Pallets guarantees a 24-48 hour turnaround service, delivering pallets from their Sligo HQ all around Ireland.

Sligo Pallets owner Andrew Mullen is a passionate supporter of Irish Rallying, having become the title sponsor of the tarmac-based Border Rally Championship in 2011, and this relationship remains as strong as ever as the Sligo Pallets branding will be seen on both sealed and loose surface events in 2023.

Speaking at the announcement of the partnership, Andrew Mullen said “This is an exciting opportunity to get involved with a really exciting Championship, with a great calendar of events right across Ireland. The Sligo Pallets team are delighted to get involved and increase our support of the series”.

“Having been on board as an Associate Sponsor in 2022, it’s a great opportunity to bring our brand to the fore and create a strong relationship with the Irish Forest Rally Championship”. The presence of Sligo Pallets branding is set to become easy recognisable with an increase in Social Media activity around the events this year, including live updates throughout the day’s action.

The 2023 Sligo Pallets Forset Rally Championship is set to be contested over seven exhilarating days of high-speed loose surface action, with each of our events bringing a unique element and style which combined make this season one very much worth looking forward to.

The action kicks off this weekend with Sunday’s Killarney Forest Rally, where a field of 75 crews are set to tackle six special stages to the East of Castleisland, the base for the event once more this year. Heading up the entry is 2022 Championship Runners-Up Jordan Paul & Paul Hone. The Derry family team are aiming to push on from their final day anguish last year and go one better to claim the title in their Ford Fiesta R5.

Behind them on the road, Keith Power/Seamus O’Grady will aim to improve on a remarkable third place finish in their debut campaign in a similar Fiesta R5 to the Hones, Niall McCullagh/Ryan McCloskey compete in a newer Fiesta Rally2, while Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan will compete in a Volkswagen Polo Gti R5.

Other notable entries amongst the 4WD contingent include David Condell/Greg Shinnors swapping a Class 14 Ford Escort Mk2 for a Fiesta R5, fellow regular MK2 competitor Gary Kiernan taking the wheel of a Mitsibushi Evo iX and youngster Ryan Caldwell making his 4WD Championship debut in his new Skoda Fabia R5 following a remarkable run to the Class 2 title last season.

In the 2WD section, top seeding is given to last years winners Mickey Conlon/Paul McPhillips, the Ford Escort Mk2 pairing will have their hands full on the day competing with long term rivals Hugh McQuaid/Declan Casey & Steven Corey/Ella Ryan in similar Fords, while Mike O’Connor Jnr/Barry Attridge will add some variety to the battle with their Opel Manta.

While the 2WD section has long been dominated by the rear-wheel-drive crews, 2023 is set to be a mouthwatering opportunity for a strong roster of rising stars to make a splash with their performances in the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship. Kyle McBride/Liam McIntyre will be catching plenty of looks with their Motorsport Ireland Academy liveried Ford Fiesta Rally4, while Casey Jay Coleman/Shane Buckley and Dylan Eves/Ryan Farrell also compete in similar machines.

As in previous years, the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship remains a strong supporter of the development of the next generation of talent in the sport, and the prizes on offer for the Junior 1000 championship has been boosted with the addition of a remarkable Tuition Day being offered.

The Winning Junior Driver will receive a place within the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy as well a sizeable package of Training and Coaching. The J1000 Tuition Day, taking place April 11th in Tynagh, Co. Galway, will allow all registered drivers to get one-on-one training in their own cars from leading driving talent, as well as discussions on car setup, fitness and event preparation.

Castleisland gets in gear for forestry rally

Posted: February 15, 2023 6:34 AM

Rally drivers from across Ireland will help fund future Air Ambulance missions when they take to the gravel in County Kerry on Sunday.

The Irish Community Air Ambulance has been announced as the beneficiary of the Killarney Forestry Rally.
“We are honoured that Killarney and District Club have chosen us as the beneficiaries of this exciting event,” said Micheál Sheridan, the CEO of the Irish Community Air Ambulance. “It is thanks to donations and fundraisers of all sizes taking place in communities across the country that we can bring hope to people when they need it most. Our crews treat the most critically ill and injured patients, often in rural locations, bringing them to the hospital that best suits their life-saving needs, not just the closest geographically.”

Killarney and District Motor Club has attracted a top-class entry of over 80 cars for the six-stage event.
The rally gets underway with a ceremonial start outside the River Island Hotel, on the town’s Main Street at 6 pm on Saturday evening.
The Killarney Forestry Rally is the first round of the Irish Forestry Championships and the majority of the main contenders are on the event’s entry list.
The top seeds are brothers Jordan and Paul Hone from Derry in their Ford Fiesta Rally2. In fact, the top three seeds are all in Fiestas with Waterford’s Keith Power and Tyrone’s Niall McCullagh each fielding one.
Ray Breen, father of current Word Rally star, Craig, starts at nine in the family-owned Ford Focus World Rally Car.
Behind them is the first Kerry competitor in the event.
Cordal’s Denny Greaney is on pacenote duty for Limerick driver PJ O’Connor in their Mitsubishi Lancer E9.
The first-all Kerry crew in the event is that of rally sponsor Cyril Wharton and Donal Falvey in their Subaru Impreza.
Father and daughter crew John and Michelle Hickey from Headford, compete in a similar Impreza.
Mike O’Connor Jr from Moyvane competes in the Opel Manta, the first Kerry appearance for the car he bought last July.
Shane Buckley returns home to Kerry, from his London home, to co-drive for Tipperary youngster Casey Jay Coleman in a Ford Fiesta.

Glenflesk’s Diarmuid Lynch will drive his newly restored Ford Escort on Sunday. The car has plenty of Killarney and District Motor Club history. It was once used by club member Denis Cronin in forestry events 20 years ago. Multiple British rally champion Keith Cronin made his debut in the car, as a co-driver to his uncle Denis during the 2003 season.
Mossie Costello, from Tarbert, is reunited with his Honda Civic for this event after driving his father Jason’s Ford Escort in the Killarney Historic Rally last December.
Lixnaw co-driver Keith McCarthy is on pace note duty for Limerick driver Paul Roach in a Ford Fiesta ST.

The rally will get underway at 8.40 am on Sunday. The central service area in Castleisland Mart and crew will tackle two loops for three stages in the Cordal and Rockchapel areas.

Photo: Ted O'Connell

Seeded Entry List (Updated 14 February)

Posted: February 14, 2023 3:04 PM

No Driver/Navigator (Car) [Class]
1 Jordan Hone/Paul Hone (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
2 Keith Power/Seamus O'Grady (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
3 Niall McCullagh/Ryan McCloskey (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) [5]
4 Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan (VW Polo GTI R5) [5]
5 Mark Donnelly/Stephen O'Hanlon (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
6 Stephen McCann/Tommy Hayes (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
7 David Condell/Greg Shinnors (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
8 Derek Mackarel/Eamonn Creedon (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
9 Ray Breen/Michael Maher (Ford Focus WRC) [7]
10 PJ O'Connor/Denny Greaney (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
11 Ashley Dickson/Martin Brady (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
12 Gary Kiernan/ TBA (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
14 Ryan Caldwell/Arthur Kierans (Skoda Fabia R5) [5]
15 Lukasz Czapnik/Piotr Szadkowski (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
16 Stephen Dickson/Dermot McCafferty (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
17 Jenna McCann/John McCabe (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
18 Patsy Keenan/John McCay (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
19 Pauric Sheridan/Sean Brunton (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
20 Paul McCann/Mark Murphy (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
21 Cyril Wharton/Donal Falvey (Subaru Impreza) [15]
22 Paul O'Brien/Benny Kennedy (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
23 Patricia Denning/Joe Downey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
24 John Hickey/Michelle Hickey (Subaru Impreza) [20]
25 Martin O'Brien/James Cotter (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
26 Eoin Neville/Brendan Quinn (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
27 Noel Hurley/Johnny O'Shea (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4) [20]
28 Damien Quinn/Karl Smyth (Subaru Impreza) [20]
29 James Lowry/Killian Cronin (Subaru Impreza WRX STI) [20]
31 Kenneth Cullinane/Robert O'Regan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]

201 Michael Conlon/Paul McPhilips (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
202 Hugh McQuaid/Declan Casey (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
203 Steven Corey/Ella Ryan (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
204 Mike Jnr O'Connor/Barry Attridge (Opel Manta GTE) [13]
205 Kyle McBride/Liam McIntyre (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
206 Casey Jay Coleman/Shane Buckley (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
207 Dylan Eves/Ryan Farrell (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
208 Michael Fitzgibbon/Carrie Moroney Ryan (Honda Civic) [11F]
209 Ian McCarthy/Patrick O'Sullivan (Honda Civic Vtec) [11F]
210 Donal Connolly/Danny McLaughlin (Ford Escort) [12]
211 Shane McCanney/Conor McGurren (Toyota Corolla) [11R]
212 Diarmuid Lynch/ TBA (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
215 Aoife Raftery/Grace O'Brien (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [2]
216 Graeme Colfer/Alex Cudden (Peugeot 206 Cup Car) [11F]
217 Jack Brennan/John McGrath (Renault Clio Rally5) [1]
218 Dan Nash/Gavin Downey (Ford Fiesta Rally 4) [2]
219 Cian Caldwell/Liam Egan (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [21]
220 Conor Wilson/Sean Marsh (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
221 Mossie Costello/Cian Clancy (Honda Civic) [16]
222 Francis Kelly/Charlotte Egan (Ford ) [9]
223 Ed Muldoon/Ray Fitzpatrick (Suzuki Swift) [11F]
224 Danny O'Leary/Katelyn O'Leary (Peugeot 205 GTi) [10]
225 Paul Cullen/Brian Rowan (Opel Corsa) [10]
226 Paul Roche/Keith McCarthy (Ford Fiesta ST) [2]
227 Sean McConnell/Anthony McDonald (Citroen C2 R2) [11F]
228 Darragh Kelly/Eoin Kelly (Peugeot 208 R2) [11F]
229 Letisha Conn/Emel McNamara (Ford Fiesta) [1]
230 Dario Tempesta/Kieran Carroll (Honda Civic) [11F]
231 Padraig Cronin/Josh Raddford (Honda Civic) [9]
232 Eugene Ward/ TBA (Ford Fiesta) [5]
233 Padraig McCarthy/Eoghan McCarthy (Peugeot 206 Cup Car) [11F]
234 Sean Benskin/Angiee Michniewicz (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
235 Colin Neligan/James Flanagan (Suzuki Swift) [9]

301 Danny Brady/ TBA (Peugeot 107) [21]
302 Jack Harris/Aaron O'Regan (VW UP) [21]
303 Jack Kennedy/Colin O'Toole (VW UP) [21]
304 Tommy Cronin/Karl Egan (Toyota Aygo) [21]
305 Ross Ryan/Peter Keohane (Citroen C1) [21]
306 Tommy Moffett/Domhnall Lennon (Toyota Aygo) [21]
307 Cameron Crozier/Aine Phelan (Nissan Micra) [21]
308 Conor Ryan/Conor Hade (Skoda Citigo) [21]
309 Patrick Gahan/ TBA (Toyota Agyo) [21]
310 Bobby Conn/Stephen Conn (Citroen C1) [21]
311 Tommy Furlong/Niall Furlong (Skoda Citigo) [21]
312 Charlie Browne/Justin McCauley (Nissan Micra) [21]
314 Ryan Caldwell/Darren Caldwell (Skoda Citigo) [21]
315 Kalum Graffin/Richard Morton Crozier (Skoda Citigo) [21]
316 Ger Hartigan/ TBA (Citroen C1) [21]
317 Ciara Duggan/Damien Duffin (Toyota Agyo) [21]
318 Aaron Hughes/ TBA (Nissan Micra) [21]

KILLARNEY FORESTRY RALLY TO RAISE FUNDS FOR AIR AMBULANCE CHARITY

Posted: February 9, 2023 10:43 AM

Rally drivers from across Ireland will help bring Critical and Advanced Medical Care to communities across the country when they race through the woods in County Kerry this month.

For the second year in a row the charity that operates the Irish Community Air Ambulance has been announced as the beneficiary of the Killarney Forestry Rally which takes place in Castleisland on Sunday, February 19.

The event is the first round of the Irish Forestry Championships and is organised by Killarney and District Motor Club.

The Irish Community Air Ambulance was launched as Ireland’s first and only charity Air Ambulance in 2019. It has a strong network of Volunteer Emergency Medicine Doctors and Volunteer Emergency Medical Responders in Counties Mayo, Donegal and Dublin with additional doctors set to join the team in the coming months.

The charity's resources were tasked to 1,000 incidents during 2022, many of which were road traffic incidents. The organisation works in partnership with the National Ambulance Service and was tasked to more than 110 emergencies in Co Kerry last year.

The CEO of the Irish Community Air Ambulance, Micheál Sheridan said,
“We are honoured once again to be chosen by Killarney and District Motor Club as the beneficiary of the Killarney Forestry Rally. We’re often called to road traffic incidents and fundraising events like this help us to bring hope to people when time is critical. On average 18% of all taskings in the past three years have been to road traffic related incidents. This year our focus is on expanding our network of Volunteer Critical Care and Advanced Doctors into more communities across the country. We have seen just how important pre-hospital emergency care is when a person is critically ill or injured. We provide our volunteer doctors with the equipment they need to be able to carry out complex procedures at the scene of an emergency. This helps to give people the very best chance of survival.

It costs us €25,000 to establish a Volunteer Doctor in the community and €120,000 to put a new Critical Care response vehicle on the road. With your help we will be able to expand this service.”

2023 Killarney Forestry Rally officially launched

Posted: January 30, 2023 10:11 AM

Killarney and District Motor Club launched its Castleisland-based Killarney Forestry Rally at the RiverIsland Hotel in the town centre on Sunday evening.

For the second year in a row, the event will be run to raise funds for Irish Community Air Ambulance Southern Region.

Last year Killarney and District Motor Club presented €58,293 to the air ambulance and proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to this vital community service too.

Competitors and rally fans can look forward to a challenging route in the Mullagherick Mountain, Fornane and Mount Eagle areas on Sunday, February 19.

Clerk of the Course for this year’s event is Adrian Cronin opened Sunday’s launch.

He outlined the hard work the Killarney and District Motor Club crew are doing behind the scenes to organise the first major motorsport event in the county this year.

“I have to say a huge thank you to the team behind me,” he told the large audience present.

“The roads are in great condition, there are motorways in some parts of the country not as good as the roads in the forest right now.

Several local dignitaries and public representatives also attended the launch.

Local councillor Charlie Farrelly outlined the importance of bringing such a large event to Castleisland in the late winter.

“This is of huge benefit to the town,” he said. “Last year, we worked out, brought in excess of 500,000 on Saturday night and Sunday. We extend a big Ceid Mile Failte to all visitors over the rally weekend.”

Cllrs Bobby O’Connell is a former rally diver and one-time member of Killarney and District Motor Club.

“It is great to have the rally back in town,” said the Mayor of the Castleisland Municipal District.

“We used to have rallies in Mount Eagle and Rockchapel and I soldiered with a lot of the members of Killarney and District Motor Club during my time as a driver and a navigator. This event is something we want to support.”

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae TD paid tribute to the event sponsors, local businessmen Cyril Wharton of Wharton Tool Hire and Niall Murphy of Castleisland Tyre Centre.

“There is so much involved in running these events, without sponsors, events do not just fall out of the sky," he said.

Sponsor Cyril Wharton will drive a Subaru Impreza in the event.

“This is our second year supporting the event, I see all the hard work that the club is doing and it is a lot easier to compete than it is on the other side of the fence. I commend Adrian Cronin for stepping up to clerk the event.

It is also Castleisland Tyre Centre’s second time acting as the joint-event sponsor.

“I have been following rallying all my life. There is a huge effort in running this event and myself and Cyril are only two small cogs in a very big wheel. As a local business, we are delighted to get behind this event."

Donie Lucey represented the Irish Community Air Ambulance at the launch.

“We are delighted that this rally is supporting the Irish Community Air Ambulance once again,” said the charity’s chief fundraiser.

Club chairman Thomas Randles concluded the formal aspects of the launch.

He said: “The club is delighted to play a role in supporting this vital community service. Adrian might be leading this rally but there is a huge team involved and they have pulled together and done a lot of work in a short time.”

Entries for the rally opened last Thursday night and already over 40 crews have confirmed that they will compete in the first gravel rally of the year in Ireland.

The rally is Round One of the Motorsport Ireland Forest Rally Championship, the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series, and Moriarty’s Central Car Sales Kingdom of Kerry Championship.

On Line Entry / Regulations / Sportity

Posted: January 30, 2023 10:04 AM

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Killarney Forestry Rally incentive scheme for Junior 1000 drivers

Posted: January 30, 2023 8:48 AM

Killarney and District Motor Club prides itself in supporting young, up-and-coming talent in motorsport.

The club’s February 19 Forestry Rally – in association with Wharton Tool Hire and Castleisland Tyre Centre is no exception.

The rally is a counting round of the Motorsport Ireland Junior 1000 Rally Championship for 14 to 17-year-old drivers who can drive rally cars up to 1000cc on off-road events like a forestry rally.

Following on from last year’s initiative, young drivers will be given the opportunity to win a free entry in the six-stage event.

To be in with a chance of winning the refunded entry, drivers must send a short video of their pre-event preparations.

Each video will be shared on the club’s social media channels during the run-up to the rally.

On the eve of the event, a ceremonial start will be held on Castleisland’s Main Street at around 7 pm.

All junior drivers will be invited to drive under the start arch outside the Riverland Hotel.

Those present and who have submitted a video will be entered into a free draw to get a refund on their entry fee.

“Due to the success in 2022 of the drivers telling us their story and being eligible for the draw for a free entry, we have decided to do the same for 2023,” said prize draw coordinator Dermot Healy.
“All we need is a short clip from you telling us your story.”

Videos can be sent via WhatsApp to 087 257 4766.

As an added bonus, the local motorsport website Kerry Motorsport News will offer a set of free pacenotes to junior drivers that comply with the same request for the free entry.

Website owner Sean Moriarty will present the draw winner with a voucher to cover the cost of the notes that they will have already purchased from third-party suppliers.

For the second year in a row, the event will be run to raise funds for Irish Community Air Ambulance.

Based in the Riverisland Hotel in the heart of the County Kerry town, the rally will be sponsored by two local businessmen, Cyril Wharton of Cyril Wharton Tool Hire and Niall Murphy of Castleisland Tyre Centre.

Clerk of the Course for this year’s event is Adrian Cronin has confirmed that since entries opened on Thursday evening several Junior 1000 drivers have already committed to the event.

They include Tommy Furlong and Ryan O’Connor who each compete in a Skoda Citigo, Jack Kennedy and Jack Harris in a pair of Volkswagen UPs and Charlie Browne is a Nissan Micra.

Leading main field entries include defending Class 4 National Forestry Rally Championship title-holders PJ O’Connor and local co-driver Denny Greaney in their Mitsubishi Lancer. Ryan Caldwell and Arthur Kierans will drive a Ford Fiesta R5.

On Line Entry Open

Posted: January 27, 2023 5:38 AM

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Preliminary Details

Posted: January 27, 2023 5:36 AM